Palworld Hits 32 Million Players During Year 1 as Nintendo Pokémon Lawsuit Looms Over the Horizon

Palworld has seen more than 32 million players across all platforms since its early access launch in January 2024.

Developer Pocketpair said its crafting and survival game, which was dubbed “Pokémon with guns” before its record-breaking release, hit the milestone across PC via Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation 5.

“Thank you so much!” Pocketpair said in a tweet. “As always, your support means the world to us!”

“We will continue to work hard to make Palworld year 2 even better!” added Pocketpair Communications Director and Publishing Manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley.

Palworld launched on Steam priced $30 and straight into Game Pass on Xbox and PC a year ago, breaking sales and concurrent player number records in the process. Pocketpair boss Takuro Mizobe has said Palworld’s launch was so big that the developer couldn’t handle the massive profits the game generated. Still, Pocketpair acted swiftly to capitalize on Palworld’s breakout success, signing a deal with Sony to form a new business called Palworld Entertainment that’s tasked with expanding the IP, and launching the game on PS5.

As Pocketpair continues to work on updating Palworld, its high-profile patent lawsuit with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company looms over the horizon.

After Palworld’s huge launch, comparisons were made between Palworld’s Pals and Pokémon, with some accusing Pocketpair of “ripping off” Pokémon designs. But rather than file a copyright infringement lawsuit, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company went down the patent route. They want 5 million yen (approx $32,846) each plus late payment damages, as well as an injunction against Palworld that would block its release.

In November, Pocketpair confirmed the three Japan-based patents, which revolve around catching Pokémon in a virtual field, it is being sued over. Palworld does include a mechanic that involves throwing a ball-like object (called a Pal Sphere) at monsters out in a field to capture them, similar to the mechanic seen in the 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, without explanation, Pocketpair recently tweaked how players summon Pals, with observers speculating the change had to do with the patent infringement lawsuit.

Patent experts have said Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Pocketpair is evidence of the threat posed by Palworld. Now, all eyes are on the lawsuit to see who will emerge victorious, if it isn’t settled first. Pocketpair has vowed to take on Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in court, however, saying: “We will continue to assert our position in this case through future legal proceedings.”

Through it all, Pocketpair has continued to release major updates for Palworld and even moved forward with crossovers with other huge video games, including aTerraria collaboration.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.